Guide to Social Media

Whether you’re launching a new �Ը�� social media account or managing an existing one, this guide brings together the essential policies, standards, and best practices you need to do it responsibly and effectively.

The sections below outline what you should understand before creating or posting to an account, including administrative requirements, roles and accountability, and the implications of noncompliance. You’ll also find practical guidance for departments and account managers, required elements for official accounts — including accessibility expectations — and platform-specific tips to help you represent �Ը�� clearly, consistently, and inclusively across social channels.

Before You Dive In

EVALUATE YOUR GOALS, taking into account your audience and messaging, and consider whether these mediums will help you achieve those goals. Don’t jump into social media for the sake of doing so – have a plan. Consider conducting research with your target audience to see if they will use your social media tools.
BENCHMARK similar department social media efforts for tips and tricks about making your presence valuable to end users.
REVIEW YOUR WORKLOAD or the workload of your employees to determine if your department has the resources to support social media activity. If someone cannot be dedicated to this work for at least an hour each day, reconsider the effort. Instead, look to other institutional social media efforts and see if you can take advantage of those outlets on a more sporadic, as needed basis. Remember, new content is critical to building and maintaining credibility in social media communities.

Administrative Policy Regarding Social Media

Policy statement. This policy applies to all Kent state university employees who manage and/or participate in maintenance of university social media account activity in platforms ranging from, but not limited to, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Google+, Flickr, Instagram, Tumblr and Pinterest for the purpose of managing the institutional brand and sharing institutional and departmental information.
Scope. Employees and other members of the university community who create institutional social media accounts and/or are granted access to a social media account shall follow all policies, rules, procedures and guidelines established to manage social media activity for university accounts. This policy does not apply to personal social media activities.
Implementation.
1. The division of university communications and marketing is responsible for promulgating the rules, procedures and guidelines for regulating the university's use of social media, including but not limited to the "guide to social media" as amended. The division of university communications and marketing shall monitor industry trends to support ongoing development of university guidelines.
2. To achieve the overall advancement of Kent state university's unique institutional brand identity, as defined in the Kent state university positioning platform and "guide to marketing," social media spaces and activity covered by this policy, shall be governed by the guide to social media.
3. The division of university communications and marketing shall assist departments, divisions and all units covered by this policy in identifying noncompliant elements and shall provide assistance to departments to bring departmental social media spaces into compliance with this policy.
4. The division of university communications and marketing shall be added as a social media administrator for each departmental social media account for the purpose of providing coverage during departmental transitions, which can result in lapses of maintenance.
5. Copyright and ownership of internet materials, whether original or derived works, created or developed by Kent state university staff, faculty or students are prescribed by Kent state university contractual agreements or policies regarding intellectual property, including but not limited to rules 3342-5-11, 3342-5-10, 3342-5-10.1, 3342-5-10.2, and 3342-5-10.3 of the Administrative Code.
6. No social media activity can contain any copyrighted or trademarked material without permission of the copyright/trademark holder except as permitted by law. Photographs, drawings, video clips or sound clips may not be used without permission of the person who created them or the entity owning the rights where applicable.
7. Other than basic identification information described in the guide to social media, this policy is not intended to regulate content.
8. Kent state university institutional and departmental social media accounts and activity must adhere to the terms of service established by each social media platform.
9. Institutional and departmental social media accounts must include the institutional disclaimer statement as provided for and provided in the guide to social media.
Violations
Violations of this policy may result in the revocation of an employee's administrative rights to their respective institutional or departmental social media accounts.

Cross-Training

Individuals who serve as a department’s social media ADMINISTRATOR should CROSS-TRAIN a colleague to provide coverage during vacations and sick time or approach UCM to provide COVERAGE for vacations of less than six working days.
Individuals who leave a university position where they SERVE as a department’s social media administrator, must find and TRAIN a colleague to assume this role.
Notify us that this transition has occurred and include the name, title and email address of the individual to whom this RESPONSIBILITY has been transferred. If a replacement individual cannot be identified, notify UCM about the need to serve as an intermediary administrator until a replacement can be identified. If no replacement is found within a reasonable amount of time, the social media space will be deleted or flagged publicly as “no longer active.”

Guidelines for All

REFER to and become acquainted with Social Media Policy.
PROTECT confidential and proprietary information.
- Do not post confidential or proprietary information about �Ը��, students, employees or alumni.
- Employees must still follow the applicable federal requirements such as FERPA, HIPAA and NCAA regulations.
- Adhere to all applicable university privacy and confidentiality policies.
Do not use �Ը�� LOGOS for ENDORSEMENTS
- Do not use �Ը��’s NAME to promote a product, cause, or political party or candidate.
Do not post PERSONAL STATEMENTS or opinions via your institutional or departmental social media account.

Guidelines for Departments

Guidelines for Departmental Social Media Activity and Related Content

This section applies to those posting on behalf of an official university unit, though the guidelines may be helpful for anyone posting on social media in any capacity.

BE RESPONSIVE to posts by followers and fans. Due to the immediacy of social media, reasonable response times should be:
- within four hours during the work day;
- 24 hours during the traditional work week;
- 48 hours over the weekend.
BE CAUTIOUS when responding to negative posts. If you are unsure about the appropriate response, ask your supervisor or contact us for guidance. Remember, social media spaces are public forums, which support freedom of speech. Our disclaimer references that items deemed threatening or defamatory may be monitored or removed. Note: it would be up to the judicial system to declare a statement defamatory. Avoid such interpretation on your own. If necessary, approach University Communications and Marketing for counsel.
THINK TWICE before posting. Privacy does not exist in the world of social media. Consider what could happen if a post becomes widely known and how that may reflect both on the originating social media participant and the university. Search engines can turn up posts years after they are created, and comments can be forwarded or copied. If you wouldn’t say it at a conference, to a colleague or to a member of the media, consider whether you should post it online. Be mindful of the various stakeholders served by the university’s social media.
BE ACCURATE: Get the facts straight before posting them on social media. Review content for grammatical and spelling errors. If you make a mistake, correct it as soon as possible.
BE RESPECTFUL: Understand that content contributed to a social media site could encourage comments or discussion of opposing ideas. Responses should be considered carefully in light of how they would reflect on the poster and/or the university and its institutional voice.
BE POSITIVE.
MONITOR YOUR KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS on a monthly basis to help measure your plan’s effectiveness.

10 Required Elements

For �Ը�� social media administrators, it’s important to follow the 10 Required Elements for official social media accounts to ensure consistency, accessibility and proper representation of your unit across platforms. These requirements cover foundational setup elements — such as account naming, profile information, graphics, disclaimers, administrative oversight and social media accessibility best practices to help ensure content is usable by all audiences. Together, these elements support clear communication, alignment with university standards, and inclusive engagement. Review the full list of required elements to understand expectations for creating, managing and maintaining an official �Ը�� social media account.

Social Platforms & Tips

As you delve into the social media arena, take advantage of this listing of popular social media platforms and quick links to relevant information. Remember to CONSIDER YOUR AUDIENCE, messaging and ability to maintain content in these social media venues before you get started.